FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEKLY FEATURES

Quarterback Watch - Week 8 Scott Boyter
October 25,
2005

Top Ten Fantasy QB’s to own

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1

GB

Brett Favre

Will his enthusiasm for the game finally dissipate after Green Bay’s meltdown to the lowly Vikings? Will his numbers officially plunge after losing Ahman Green for the season? It’s very likely both could happen, but until then his numbers have been too good not to put him at this spot.

2

NE

Tom Brady

The guy had a bye week and he still leads the league in passing yardage. There’s a good chance this will be the highest he’ll be on this list for a while, however, because his next three games are against Buffalo, Indianapolis and Miami.

3

IND

Peyton Manning

Manning had another disappointing game against a vastly overmatched defense, but still managed to put up 237 yards and two TDs. He’s on bye before his grudge match with New England.

4

CIN

Carson Palmer

Sorry, but Palmer had an awful day against the Steelers (227 yards, no TDs, two INTs), and that’s enough to drop him three spots. Look for a quick rise, however, after Palmer goes up against the woeful Green Bay defense.

5

PHI

Donovan McNabb

It’s not like the lack of a running game is a recent phenomenon in Philly, but that, compared with McNabb’s obvious struggles with mobility, could have him primed for a huge fall. He has to face the Denver D and Washington, both on the road, in the next two weeks.

6

WAS

Mark Brunell

The only reason he’s not in the Top 5 yet is the guys in front of him have performed basically all season, while Brunell’s has been a more recent emergence. Look for him to crack that coveted spot next week after torching New York. Even after holding Jake Plummer to less than 200 yards, the Giants are still No. 31 in pass defense.

7

DAL

Drew Bledsoe

In an all around ugly day in Seattle, Bledsoe managed only 136 yards and a TD. His stock should rise next week, however, since the Cowboys play Arizona at home.

8

SEA

Matt Hasselbeck

Hasselbeck was a very late TD from having an absolutely dreadful day. But he’s another QB whose position should greatly improve the next few weeks. After this week’s bye, Hasselbeck gets the Cardinals, Rams, 49ers and Giants in consecutive games.

9

NYG

Eli Manning

Little brother showed some big time skills as he led the Giants to a last-second win over Denver. Plus, his numbers were very good (214 yards, two TDs). Look for slippage against Washington, then a strong rebound at home against San Francisco.

10

OAK

Kerry Collins

Lo and behold, Randy Moss actually played and Collins had a pretty good game. Collins has decent matchups against Tennessee and Kansas City the next two weeks, even though they’re on the road.

(Note – this listing considers the rankings of QB’s if a draft was held today)

Climbing Up The Ladder

Daunte Culpepper (MIN) – If we’re going to rip him when he’s down, we’ll give him credit when he does well. Sure, his 280 yards and two scores were against Green Bay, but at least he looks like he may be coming out of his funk. If he can manage a similar performance against Carolina on the road this weekend, the Vikings may actually be a valid playoff contender.

Kelly Holcomb (BUF) – It wasn’t much yardage wise, but he did have two TDs against the Raiders and has all but sealed the starting QB job down in Buffalo for the rest of the season. He’s a good sleeper pick on the road against the Patriots.

Jeff Garcia (DET) – Mr. Garcia, here are the keys to the Detroit offense. Barring injury, there’s no way he’ll ride any more pine this season.

Sliding Back

Josh McCown (ARI) – With the return of Kurt Warner to the starting lineup, McCown had his chance to put a stranglehold on the Arizona QB job, but Dennis Green still has to have some doubts. While the Cardinals did win, his numbers were puny against a middle-of-the-pack Titan pass defense. Those numbers shouldn’t get any better against the Cowboys.

Steve McNair (TEN) – It was a matter of time before McNair was hurt, and he couldn’t answer the bell against the Cardinals. Who knows if he’ll make it against the Raiders at home? And that’s too bad, because he was putting up some decent numbers this season.